I underestimated how much I liked cascading combos in games. This game reminded me of the most exciting parts of Lost Ruins of Arnak and the combos that develop which let you continue your round. This game does a fantastic job of directing your play and simplified symbols which are easy to learn. I am so surprised at how good this game is and I think it is even better as a written board because it reduces analysis paralysis. While you can temporarily place your workers to play and plan different options to see your combos but once you commit you actually have to fill in the box with ink, (using pencil would not be good), and then you won't get players taking back their move or last few placements. You are committed and then just ride the wave of combos because so many times the combos take you places you did not realize and they open new possibilities on your next placement. After playing I want to play again to explore the parts I never could try just because there are so many areas to try. The only improvements I might like to see is a larger box so I could use game trays to store the components but there aren't many so setup is a breeze, and second would be larger play pads because it would be nice if the worker meeples could fit the areas so one could plan moves easier but really I'm not sure this would be an improvement because it might make the game take longer if it was easier for players plan out their placements and test various scenarios. Great game! Easily in my top 5 for solo games and top 100 games of all time.
Thanks for your input on this Mike, as always ❤️ Second "flip n fill" name as commented below 👇 Just got this and really looking forward to get to the table ☺️
I've been keeping an eye on this one. Watching other gameplay videos I knew this would be 'combo' heavy. I enjoyed That's Pretty Clever and Twice As Clever with their combos and this one seems to take it to the extreme. So looking forward to it.
I have no problem with high score games. I play solo games to PLAY, not to “compete” if that makes sense. Just grabbed this from my FLGS and I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for another great review!
Great review Mike, as always. I played this game at the weekend, my friend had it and I was curious, thinking I would not like it. How wrong I was, game is amazing and is the Daddy of this genre, so much so I ordered a copy and I think it eclipses others such as The Settlers roll and write.
Mike, Iove your reviews - always very thoughtful! Maybe consider a different goodbye than "Have a great day." You need something snappy like, "So long, buckaroos!" or "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!" OK, so those are terrible suggestions, but you get the idea.
Just got into this game for the purpose of solo. While I do not often enjoy 'beat your high score' I see this one a little differently. Feast for Odin and this game are the only 'beat your score' games I actually enjoy. Instead of them feeling competitive, I find the solo experience more relaxing. A nice way to unwind after a hectic day. Not to complicated, easy to table, reasonable play time. Running through a round (year) can be quite satisfying when you chain a bunch of stuff, progress your wall, send a cohort or two up for defense and earn a couple of favors. Gladiators I thought were not so great, turns out they are a fun way to really get a ton of points. Best score was 75, but then I realized I had played a few things wrong (as we do with most games, learn as we go) . My average scores are in the high 50's low 60's.
Thanks Mike, this was great. I'm enjoying it but so far find that I do really well if I just mostly ignore all the strategy tracks (theatre, market etc.) I need to play more, but to some degree it suffers the Too Many Bones problem winning by (just focusing on the attack defence and agility dice instead of the special stuff). Also, I think it's two neutral decks in solo, not one.
I kind of compare the feeling of learning/teaching this game to A Feast For Odin. There’s so much choice, but it really is a sandbox and once you understand the basics you really find yourself itching to try another game and another strategy.
I am I interested in this game but it is difficult to see what you are pointing at as you are describing the rules. Sorry for sounding rude....not mean to be.
